Creative Workshop Session: Son histoire, mon histoire
April 26, 2021, 1:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Creative Workshop session:
‘Son histoire, mon histoire’, a theatrical exploration of Acadian history
George Belliveau, Chris Cook, Tetsuro Shigematsu, Graham W. Lea (Artists)
This was the first creative workshop session in the "History, from Page to Stage" series, to explore the evolving work of Dr. George Belliveau (LLED, Faculty of Education). ‘Son histoire, mon histoire’ revisits and critically reflects on two key periods in Acadian history, in the 1750s and late 20th century, both of which had a foundational impact on Acadian cultural identity and development and saw the forced departure of large numbers of French Acadians from eastern Canada. Other themes that cut through the play include the dynamic relationship between the Mi’kmaq and Acadians, one that is built on mutual respect for land, and the underexamined history of cultural expression in the Acadian language. Join us to experience, and provide feedback on, this work in progress.
This session opened with an introduction and some background to Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process. Using this dialogic approach to feedback generates a space that may allow works to grow and evolve, taking into account how an audience receives the work as well as the intents of the artists and researchers. Session attendees had an opportunity to use the Critical Response Process to engage in a discussion of “Son Historire, Mon Historire,” providing a model utilized in the following two workshops on April 28 and 30.
For more information on Lerman's method, see (for example):
Borstel, John. "Finding the Progress in Work-in-Progress: Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process in Arts-Based Research," in Arts-Based Research in Education: Foundations for Practice, Melisa Cahnmann-Taylor, Richard Siegesmund, eds., 212-227. (NY: Routledge, 2017).
Williams, Cynthia. "Beyond Criticism: Lerman’s “Critical Response Process” in the Dance Composition Classroom" Journal of Dance Education 2, 3 (2002): 93-99.
This was the first public event associated with the "Son Histoire, Mon Histoire" project.